Golden Retriever Gives Birth to 'Lucky' Green Puppy Named Shamrock: 'She Just Shines' (Exclusive)

A golden retriever puppy arrived in the world with a green coat instead of the blonde fur associated with the breed.

The puppy, the smallest in her litter of eight, was born on March 3 — two weeks before St. Patrick's Day — in Pensacola, Fla., sporting a dark green hue. The rest of the pups had near-white coats.

"We were kind of shocked," Carole DeBruler tells PEOPLE. She and her husband, Greg, have been raising light-colored golden retrievers for nearly 17 years at Golden Treasures Kennel. "We rubbed her, and the green just didn't come off," she adds.

According to DeBruler, 59, it's not uncommon for light-colored puppies to have "some green" or a slight tint, but usually, any green on a newborn puppy "rubs right off."

"Mom cleans them, we clean them, and it comes off — hers didn't," she says. "This is rare."

After a few cleanings from DeBruler and the pup's mom, the baby dog, born in the late morning, went from a very dark green to "bright, bright lime green."

"And she stayed lime for a good while," DeBruler says of the dog's fur.

DeBruler and her family named the glowing green pup Shamrock and started documenting her life on the TikTok account @living_the_golden_life. The first video received 6.8 million views! In the clip, DeBruler shares that Shamrock was "stained" green in the womb by biliverdin, a bile pigment that can sometimes mix with a pup's amniotic fluid.

"I'm just so excited to share Shamrock with the world," says DeBruler. "She was a lucky dog!"

Shamrock is the smallest of her siblings, but her caretaker says the canine has the biggest personality.

"Puppies, in general, make me happy. I love puppies," DeBruler adds. But Shamrock is a favorite.

"She just shines," she says. "She was small, but she was feisty."

Since her birth, Shamrock has spent her time wrestling and playing with her siblings while her green hue has gradually faded.

"She's just fun to watch," DeBruler says.

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Shamrock was also the top pick for her new family — she was the first puppy selected from the litter for a forever home.

"The gentleman getting her has just retired, and she will be his world. He loves her already so much," DeBruler says. "She's so loved now, and she's going to be so loved in the future —and that makes me happy."